Two men made it easy for authorities to catch them after they tried to hold up a West Rogers Park restaurant using a squirt gun but were told by the owner to return in an hour, officials said. When Mario Garcia, 39, and Domingo Garcia-Hernandez, 28, went back to the restaurant on the 6400 block of North Claremont Avenue early Monday police quickly nabbed them, according to police and prosecutors. The two men appeared in bond court today...

The Black Ram restaurant has revised plans for an outdoor dining area in hopes it can overcome neighbors' concerns about noise from music and patrons. Instead of appealing a decision by Des Plaines officials to deny a permit for a 1,500-square-foot patio at the restaurant at 1414 E. Oakton St., owner Georgi Urdov has submitted new plans that would put a 14-foot sound wall around the space, limit seating to around 75 and not stage musical entertainment there, said his attorney, Elliot Wiczer, a...

A house built in 1857 for a Geneva lumber man has been given new life as a restaurant and lounge set to open in coming months. The Patten House, named for George Patten, has been transformed from a historical home in need of a major overhaul to a multi-level restaurant with expansive patios and multiple dining rooms. At the heart of the project is Nancy Luyten, a St. Charles resident with previous experience running a nightclub. She had been interested in opening a restaurant, she...

In December 2012, Chicago-born brothers Ricardo Talavera and Alfredo Esparza took a big risk and opened American Wildburger, a fast-casual restaurant that advertises itself as a gourmet and health-conscious dining experience. Now, they're ready to expand their location in Des Plaines by 1,300 square feet to seat patrons who would like a dine-in experience, and a second American Wildburger restaurant is slated to open at 1234 N. Halsted St. in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood sometime this...

There's something wonderfully sinister about carrying your own bottle of wine, tucked in a brown paper bag, into a restaurant. Maybe it's that sense of getting away with something, or that faint whiff of bootlegging days. And it turns out, there is a bit of gray area about BYOB, thanks to murky rules about how restaurants should handle your wine. Did you know, for instance, that the waiter probably shouldn't touch that cheap bottle you bought at Jewel? We didn't either. It turns out...

Monday is Bastille Day, which commemorates the 1789 storming of the Bastille prison, launching the French Revolution. For Chicago's French restaurants, it's a day of celebration and dining deals. Bistronomic. Saturday through Monday, the Gold Coast bistro will feature steak frites for $17.89, a special bottle of French wine also priced at $17.89 and a three-course Bastille Day menu for $40. 840 N. Wabash Ave., 312-944-8400 312-944-8400 . Bistrot Zinc.

Culver's, the Wisconsin-based "Butter Burger" and custard chain with dozens of locations in the Chicago suburbs, plans to open its first restaurant in the city early next year. The store is planned for 3500 N. Clark St., in Chicago's Wrigleyville neighborhood, a former Chase Bank location. The urban setting will bring challenges, said Justin Obriecht, the franchisee who is opening the restaurant with a partner. Because of Chicago's high property values, the...

A trial to determine whether a restaurant in Millennium Park gets to keep its contract turned Wednesday to testimony from a former Chicago Park District official whose sexual relationship with the eventual winner of the lucrative deal has Mayor Rahm Emanuel's administration arguing she unfairly influenced the bidding to his benefit. The city's lawsuit against the investors of the Park Grill has ostensibly been about the legality of a lease signed by the...

Neophyte restaurateurs Beverly Kim and Johnny Clark ran through calculations on their Excel spreadsheet, something they've done plenty in the last year. They knew early on that the margin of error at their new Avondale restaurant, Parachute, was thin. “If we averaged 25 customers a day, five days a week, that wouldn't be good for us. That's just skating by, and we'd have to get rid of everybody,” said the 34-year-old Kim. “Ultimately, because we have our names on the line, if it comes...

Cider is typically served cold, but it is one hot drink. The alcoholic drink, made from fermented apple juice, is staging what some consider to be a long overdue comeback in America, aided by the country's top brewers launching ciders and armed with hefty marketing budgets. At the same time, smaller cider-makers are securing money for expansion, two local restaurant operators are planning Chicago locations focused on the drink, and there's even a biannual magazine dedicated to the...

Show-Me's, the Naperville restaurant that riled residents because of its scantily clad waitresses, has closed after less than a year, company President Ron Cote confirmed Friday. “They had some management issues, a lot of mechanical issues with the building,” Cote said of the franchise. “They fell behind and never caught back up.” The eatery at 1126 East Ogden Ave. opened Feb. 5 despite the protests of those who feared it would hurt the city's family-friendly image.

A 37-year-old man on parole for robbery is accused of stealing and trying to guzzle down a $92 bottle of Patron tequila he'd taken from a Gold Coast area restaurant on Monday afternoon, police said. Jhoshun Lyles, 37, entered Devon Seafood restaurant, 39 E. Chicago Ave. about 2:15 p.m. Monday and asked a staffer if he could use the washroom, according to a police report. After he walked downstairs staffers heard the “distinct sound of the bar door...

A robbery attempt turned deadly Thursday night after a man entered a South Side restaurant and exchanged gunfire with the owner, killing the would-be robber and critically wounding the owner, police said. The shooting in the 8200 block of South Stony Island Avenue occurred across the street from a market where a security guard was killed Wednesday night, said Capt. Richard Johnson of the South Chicago District. The would-be robber was holding two guns as he entered the...

A report out of Greenwich (Conn.) Patch, via Eater, is that Graham Elliot's Connecticut restaurant, Primary Food & Drink, has closed. Restaurant manager David Wolvovsky told Patch the restaurant is "closed as of today - the issue being, it wasn't busy. The investors, the landlord pulled the trigger. " Elliot has achieved "celebrity chef" status, starring as a judge on Fox's "MasterChef" and "MasterChef Junior. " But in the last year, three of his restaurants have shuttered,...

The Chicago River is many things: one of the city's great tourist attractions, a marvel of 19th Century engineering and an always-colorful complement to the St. Patrick's Day Parade. But it's never been mistaken for a food court, which makes it tough for many river rats looking for a bite. One of the few riverside eateries with access for boaters, Slow Down, Life's Too Short, closed last year. And while Life's Too Short faltered, new riverside restaurants have...

Ambition on this level is rarely seen in the restaurant world. But if you've got nothing to lose, why not go for broke? That seems to be the operating philosophy of one Brandon Baltzley, who I wrote about here , and was later profiled in the Chicago Reader here . I'll leave his colorful and outspoken backstory where it belongs, in the rear view mirror, and instead look at what he's attempting in Michigan City, Ind. It's a restaurant called ...

Considering the dearth of full-service dining within the confines of north suburban Glencoe, the new Guildhall restaurant probably didn't have to work very hard to attract an audience. Just about anything would have been an improvement. But it's clear the owners and managers of this not-quite-4-month-old operation are on a mission to create not just a good restaurant, but a great one. Taking over a space that once was home to a locally owned hardware and general store, the owners commissioned...

In April, Mayor Rahm Emanuel stood in the newly remodeled Terminal 5 at O'Hare International Airport, unveiling the sparkling gateway as the newest evidence of Chicago's global status. The project developer predicted international fliers would generate big sales at the new shops and restaurants, thanks in part to the airport debut of famed local restaurant group Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises and its popular Chicago brands, including Wow Bao, Big Bowl and R.J. Grunts Burger...

Officials are trying to determine the cause of a fire that damaged a Round Lake Beach restaurant Tuesday morning. The fire at Richard's Chicken & Ribs, 900 W. Rollins Rd., started in the back patio about 6:05 a.m., said Patrick Walker, captain of the Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District. He said the blaze, which was extinguished in about an hour with help from five area fire departments, was confined to the restaurant's exterior. No one was hurt, Walker said.

Chicago's first Red Robin now has an opening date: A spokesman confirmed it will be this Monday, June 23. There are 17 Red Robins in the area, but none within the city of Chicago proper. This new location - a compact version of its full restaurant concept called Red Robin's Burger Works - is located at 328 N. Michigan Ave., just south of the river next to Naf Naf Grill. A second downtown Chicago location is scheduled to open one week later, at 20 E. Chicago Ave. just east of the...